


I Really Like That Dress

by mandylou67



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-14
Updated: 2014-10-14
Packaged: 2018-02-21 04:49:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2455328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mandylou67/pseuds/mandylou67
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Phil Coulson and Melinda May are undercover as a married couple.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Really Like That Dress

As the elevator doors closed Coulson could feel his fist throb. He hadn’t hit anyone in a while and had forgotten just how much it hurt the knuckles. But it was worth it, for once he had taken out the opposition and not left it for May to clear the path. 

“I really like that dress” he muttered, as he watched the doors meet in the middle. He rarely caught himself thinking of May in that way anymore , she was his best friend, his back up, but at this moment it was all he could think about. It reminded him of their first mission, not long after they’d graduated from the academy. They were young and inexperienced but full of enthusiasm. They’d been on a retrieval op in Sausalito, an op which had gone a little off plan, leaving May stranded floating in the bay for 5 hours. By the time he’d fished her out of the water she was so cold and mad that he’d suggested a night cap in the hotel bar in an attempt to both warm her up and prevent her from earning herself a formal reprimand from their commander. After a couple of drinks she had started to calm down and they found themselves reminiscing their times at the academy. Before long, and after far too many shots, the pair had wandered back to their hotel room. He watched from behind as she weaved down the corridor, her dress clung to her body and left nothing to his imagination. They stumbled through the door and as she tripped into a side table Phil reached out and grabbed hold of May catching her before she fell. As they stood up straight he found himself face on gazing straight into her eyes. He had always been attracted to May and been too shy to tell her. But with the bravado the alcohol had given him he now found himself leaning closer to her face, he could feel her breath on his cheek. 

“Melinda ….” he whispered. She hesitated for a moment, her gaze switching between his eyes and his lips. She had always had a soft spot for Phil, sure he was a little dorky, but he had always been the perfect gentleman, a quality she had failed to find in anyone else at the academy. She wasn’t sure if it was Phil or the drink, but she could feel the heat building between them. She had always thought of Phil as her best friend but as she looked into his deep brown eyes and the smile on his lips she began to lower her guard and tightened her grip on him. As the gap between them closed she raised her hand and let her finger tips trace the contours of his face. His skin felt so soft and he smelt so good. He always wore the same cologne and she found it a comfort. He watched as the corners of her mouth turned up and a beautiful smile fell across her face. He place a hand on the nape of her neck and pulled her gently towards him. She didn’t resist and he brushed his open mouth over her lips. She kissed him back slowly, her tongue teasing the inside of his mouth. She tasted so good, it felt so amazing and when finally she broke away he gasped at the loss of contact.

“What are we doing Phil, is this really what you want?” she said quietly. His brows rose in disbelief,

“Melinda, I’ve loved you for so long, since second week at the academy. We took combat class together and paired up, do you remember?” She nodded and he continued, “You’ve always had men follow you round, big guys, tough guys. How could I compete? I never said anything because I didn’t think... I didn't think you could feel about me that way. You're just so amazing, so beautiful.” He looked down embarrassed. She took his chin in the palm of her hand and lifted his head up to meet her gaze. Smiling she said,

“I’ve always felt something between us Phil, I thought you just wanted friendship. Those guys meant nothing, just a bit of fun. You ... you mean so much more to me. We have .... we have a deeper connection" and she leant in and kissed him again. She eased them towards the bed and pushed him backwards, laying herself down against him. He cupped her face in both hands and as they smiled at each other he pulled her to down to meet his lips. Things between them would never be the same.

oOo

They'd been together for almost two years when eventually Phil had found the courage to ask Melinda to marry him, something they had needed to keep to themselves, Fury would never allow agents working in the field to fraternize. It had been a quiet ceremony in a registry office, with only Maria and Clint present both sworn to secrecy. They'd found out years later that Fury knew all along but had ignore protocol for two of his best agents, not wishing to break up the best partnership in his team. 

But then came Bahrain. May never really returned from that place. She shut down, cut herself off from the world. What she'd felt then was too much and she'd rather feel nothing. Her love and her warmth had gone. He couldn't get her to look at him, talk to him, let alone let him touch her. He decided in order to save the woman he loved, he'd have to let her go, give her time to find her way back. It had left him devastated, but he could think of no other way to allow her the room she needed to recover. It wasn't till many years later following his 'resurrection', that he'd contacted Melinda. He was building a team for the Bus and he needed a pilot. Maybe she was ready to be near him again, to let him get close. He had missed her so much and never been able to fill the hole she had left. He had come close a few times but it had never quite felt right, just felt incomplete. So he had thrown himself into his work, and he'd been happy with that. 

That was until she joined the team. Each time he saw her his heart skipped a beat. He felt like he was back at the academy, loving her from afar. Wanting to hold her, to love her, but always kept out by the walls she’d put up. Being around her made him feel alive again and if being good friends was all she could give then that would have to be enough. At least he had a piece of her back, he could live with that. Or so he thought, that was until this mission. Playing the happy couple had not been easy, dancing and touching, he’d been distracted all night. She looked so beautiful. May couldn’t help but feel his attention. His touch was so gentle and as he held her close she could smell the familiarity of his cologne, he still wore the same. It felt just like old times. 

They'd almost forgotten why they were there, when word came through on coms from Skye that the painting they were after was somewhere at basement level. They promptly left the dance floor and found the stairwell. Coulson led them down and took out the guard at the elevator with one punch. It was exhilarating to be back in the field and it felt good. The rush of adrenaline had heightened his awareness. Awareness of just how beautiful May looked in that dress. Being undercover was the only time she wore anything other than black and as the gems on the fabric glistened he couldn't help but admire how amazing she looked, she was stunning. He shook his head and returned his attention to the elevator, bypassing the security with a clever gadget Mac had given him. The doors slid open and they both entered. As he turned and hit the button to take them below his eyes wandered once more and his words just slipped out,

“I really like that dress. Reminds me of our first mission, you looked beautiful then too” said Coulson. He turned and looked at Melinda and watched as a smirk spread across her face. She looked round to see him move towards her closing the gap between them to a minimum. He reached up and she felt his soft hands touch her cheeks. She never looked more beautiful. Slowly he leant in and gently let his mouth cover hers and nibbled her bottom lip. She placed her hands around his waist and pulled him in tighter as she kissed him deep. The years of separation between them seemed to disappear and she felt a rush of emotions as he carefully pushed her against the elevator wall. He ran his hands through her hair and grasp hold of it pulling her head back as he kissed her face and down her neck, feeling her pulse against his lips. 

“I never stopped loving you Phil” she whispered. He drew back sharply and looked straight into her eyes. He caught the single tear that fell down her cheek with his thumb and wiped it away. His eyes stung and the corners of his mouth turned down as he took in a deep breath. She couldn’t help but notice the sorrow in his eyes. His hands slip down onto her shoulders and he squeezed them tight.

“Melinda I….” he looked round the elevator as if in search of the words “I’m so sorry, I never should have left, I …..”

“I pushed you away, I made you leave” she said quietly, as another tear fell down her face. 

“But if I’d just stayed a little longer, maybe …”

“Maybe I’d of hurt you more, the one thing I cared about, the one thing that still meant something to me. I pushed you away before you ended up hating me!” she cried, shutting her eyes, unable to look at him. He cupped her face in his hands and spoke, his voice all broken ,

“How could I ever hate you Melinda, I've only ever loved you." He squeezed her tight and she sunk into his arms. There they stood like statues frozen in time, the only noise coming from the elevator as it eventually came to a halt. They parted and looked at one another, remembering why they were here.

"We have to talk about this, when we get back" he whispered, she nodded silently and turned towards the exit. The doors slid open and they both walked out into the darkened basement. 

“Ok, sub-level storage room, straight ahead, paintings in there!” instructed Skye over the radio com. 

"Great. This isn't the op we anticipated. Everything's gonna be a little more fast and dirty than we'd planned" he replied.

"Only makes it more interesting!" said Skye.

He turned and smiled at May,

"See, the exuberance of youth."

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to SassyCassie1401 and Lady_Jayde_Une for the prompt.


End file.
